S'pore Paralympics archer eliminated, misses shot at quarterfinals

She put up a great fight.

Julia Yee | August 30, 2024, 04:42 PM

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Singaporean archer Nur Syahidah Alim has missed her chance at obtaining a para archery medal in the 2024 Paralympics Games.

The 39-year-old world number two had come in 11th out of 28 competitors at the rankings match on Aug. 29, making it to the women's compound open.

In the compound open category, archers shoot from a sitting position at a distance of 50m, at an 80cm five-ring target made up of the 10-6 point bands.

Compound bows are used for archers with limited arm strength.

During the subsequent 1/16 elimination round on Aug. 30, Syahidah went head-to-head with 50-year-old Ameera Lee of Australia, who is ranked number 44th in the world.

Also in the round were British world champion Jessica Stretton and Italian Paralympic record holder Eleonora Sarti, who hold record scores of 148 and 146 respectively.

This elimination round was held in Esplanade des Invalides.

It paired two competitors, who took turns to take their shot across five ends.

Close game

Syahidah started off strong, securing a 10 with her very first shot of the game, but was soon matched by Lee.

Feeling the pressure, Syahidah lost her footing a little in the second end.

She started off with a 5, but quickly regained her form with another 10 in the next shot.

She continued to go neck-to-neck with her opponent, but eventually ceded the game to Lee.

Image via Olympics

This marks the end of Syahidah's 2024 Paris Paralympics journey.

She is not eligible to compete in the next 1/8 elimination round, which would have in turn granted her a chance to enter the quarterfinals on Aug. 31.

Nevertheless, Syahidah remains a force to be reckoned with.

First ever world champion

Syahidah's performance at the Games had been highly anticipated.

She was the first female archer to represent Singapore at the Paralympic Games, progressing as far as the quarter finals at the 2016 Rio Games.

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A post shared by SG Disability Sports Council (@sdsc)

Paralympics aside, the archer also has an impressive number of accolades under her belt, having bagged two gold medals after making her major Games debut at the 8th ASEAN Para Games in Singapore in 2015.

In 2019, she became Singapore's first-ever world champion at the World Archery Para Championships in the Netherlands.

Top images via @syah.alim/Instagram